The clean grain tank power fold auger on a combine when in use rises out of the grain tank. When the power auger is not in use it is folded down. This keeps the auger from being damaged when storing and driving the combine on the highway. Many John Deere combines that were built since the year 2000 have a manual fold clean grain tank auger. In order for an operator to use the auger, he must climb up on the back of the combine into the grain tank and lift the auger into proper position and fasten it securely. To do this causes many safety and Workmen's Compensation concerns. When the operator of the combine does this, he runs the risk of falling off the top of the combine or slipping within the grain tank. The grain tank floor is usually covered with loose grain that makes the floor slippery. There are also numerous problems or accidents that can be caused by the lifting and insertion of the auger in its proper position. Thus, one of the main objectives of this invention is to create a safer combine. Not only will the invention make the combine environment safer, it will also enable the operator to do his work quicker and with less effort.
To achieve these goals, the inventor has designed a kit to attach a linear actuator to the combine and the auger to lift the auger and place it in operating position. The linear actuator also lowers the auger when the operator no longer needs the use of the auger.
There are several safety features of the invention. The first, the operator no longer has to climb the back of the combine and into the grain tank. Nor does he have to lift the auger and put it in position in the slippery grain tank. This is all done by the invention, by toggling a button in the cab. When the operator toggles a button in the cab, the linear actuator lifts the auger and places it in operating position. The operator is able to watch this occur through the back window of the combine cab. The system also incorporates a safety switch. The safety switch tells the operator if the auger is in operating position. The switch also is hooked to visual and audio alarms within the cab. The safety system notifies the operator if he has forgotten to fold the auger into operating position. Failure to fold the auger up can lead to serious damage to the combine.
The feature that enables the invention is a kit that contains a linear actuator that can be positioned on the combine to lift the auger. One of the most important parts in the kit is a spacer, a hex stub shaft, and a bearing with a hex inter diameter that replaces the bearing on the top of the auger. By just hooking the linear actuator to the auger tube a problem arises. In the normal set up, the drive hub on the gear case can interfere with the drive pin on the auger when folding the auger into operating position. When the auger is manually folded into the operating position and the two drives interfere with each other, the operator has to grab the auger and turn it forward or backward until the two align and pass by each other engaging the drive.
To overcome this problem the inventor has devised a kit to augment the bearing. The inventor replaces the bearing on the auger with a one inch thick aluminum spacer block, a hex stub shaft, and a bearing with a hex inter diameter for the new style augers and a ½ inch thick aluminum spacer block, a hex stub shaft, and a bearing with a hex inter diameter for the old style augers. This allows the auger to glide up and down in the bearing giving the drive hub and drive pins enough room that they will not interfere with each other when folding the auger into the operating position. With this setup, the drive pin and the drive hub align themselves with the centering guide on the drive hub by allowing the drive pins to move up far enough that the drive pin does not interfere with the drive hub. The drive hub will push the auger hex shaft up far enough through the bearing causing the augur to move into operating position. Once the drive hub begins to move, the drive hub and the drive pins will engage. The rest of the kit is comprised of a mounting plate, a linear actuator with universal joints on both ends, a collar for encircling the auger tube, and a safety switch. The mounting plate is attached to the floor of the grain bin and the collar is attached around the auger tube. The linear actuator is attached to the collar and the mounting plate via universal joints. The safety switch is placed in the position where it can detect when the auger is unfolded.
The kit is designed for easy installation. The mounting plate is placed in position on the bottom of the grain bin in a position that already contains bolts. The two universal joints enable the linear actuator to work trouble-free and make for easy assembly with less alignment.